1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a highback for gliding sports, such as snowboarding, and, more particularly, to a highback formed of multiple materials having different stiffness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Snowboard binding systems for soft snowboard boots typically include an upright member, called a xe2x80x9chighbackxe2x80x9d (also known as a xe2x80x9clowbackxe2x80x9d and a xe2x80x9cskybackxe2x80x9d), that is contacted by the rear portion of a rider""s leg. The highback, which may be mounted to a binding or a boot, acts as a lever that helps transmit forces directly to and from the board, allowing the rider to efficiently control the board through leg movement. For example, flexing one""s legs rearward against the highback places the board on its heel edge with a corresponding shift in weight and balance acting through the highback to complete a heelside turn.
Force transmission and, consequently, board control can be varied by highback stiffness. As the stiffness of the highback increases or decreases, force transmission increases or decreases, respectively, resulting in more or less responsive board control. A stiff highback may create undesirable pressure points against a rider""s leg, rather than apply a uniform pressure distribution across the boot and leg. For example, the upper portion of a stiff highback may engage the rider""s calf muscle, thereby concentrating much of the force between the highback and the rider""s leg onto the calf muscle, a condition riders generally find uncomfortable.
Snowboard bindings typically are mounted to a snowboard to allow the rider to select a desired stance angle of the binding relative to the board. Specifically, the angle between the midline of the binding and the midline of the snowboard can be altered for different riding styles, such as trick riding, backcountry riding or simple traveling, and for different riding preferences. Once the desired stance angle is set, a rider may wish to reposition the highback, whether mounted to a binding or to a boot, so that the highback is generally aligned with the heel-edge of the board to enhance force transmission during a heel-side turn. This may be accomplished by mounting the highback for lateral rotation about a substantially vertical axis. A stiff highback generally is more limited, as compared to a more flexible highback, in terms of the extent and the ease by which it can be laterally rotated to a desired position.
Known highbacks are typically molded from either a composite material or a plastic material. A highback formed from a composite material, while sleek and lightweight, is generally very stiff. In contrast, a highback formed from a more flexible plastic material generally is bulky and relatively heavy due to structural features typically molded into the highback that provide the necessary stiffness for force transmission.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved highback having a blend of stiffness and flexibility.
In one illustrative embodiment of the invention, a highback is provided for use with a component, such as a gliding board binding, a boot or a binding interface, that interfaces with a rider""s leg and is supportable by a gliding board. The highback comprises an upright support member constructed and arranged to be contacted by and to support a rear portion of the rider""s leg, and a pair of mounting locations integrally formed with the support member and being disposed on opposing sides of the lower portion thereof for mounting the highback to the gliding board component. The support member includes a lower portion and an upper portion, the support member being comprised of at least a first material having a first stiffness extending continuously from an upper end of the upper portion to at least a lower end of the upper portion. The mounting locations are comprised of a second material that is different from the first material and has a second stiffness that is different from the first stiffness.
In another illustrative embodiment of the invention, the highback comprises an upright support member including an upper portion and a heel cup integrally formed with the upper portion. The upper portion is constructed and arranged to be contacted by and to support a rear portion of the rider""s leg. The heel cup is configured to hold a heel portion of a boot. The upper portion is comprised of a first material and the heel cup is comprised substantially of a second material that is different from the first material. The first material has a first stiffness and the second material has a second stiffness that is less than the first stiffness.
In a further illustrative embodiment of the invention, a snowboard binding is provided for securing a snowboard boot to a snowboard. The snowboard binding comprises a baseplate that is mountable to the snowboard, a heel hoop disposed at a heel end of the baseplate and a highback pivotally supported by the baseplate adjacent the heel hoop. The highback is constructed and arranged to be contacted by and to support a rear portion of a rider""s leg. The highback includes an upper region that cooperates with the heel hoop to transmit forces between the rider""s leg and the snowboard, and a lower region integrally formed with the upper region and pivotally mounted to the baseplate. The upper region is comprised of a first material and the lower region is comprised of a second material that is different from the first material. The first material has a first stiffness and the second material has a second stiffness that is less than the first stiffness.
Various embodiments of the present invention provide certain advantages. Not all embodiments of the invention share the same advantages and those that do may not share them under all circumstances. This being said, the present invention provides numerous advantages including the noted advantage of providing an improved highback.